Ep 34 – Love: Part 2

Hi there tom Mahairas again with it’s all greek to me and we’re continuing our series on love and this time we’re gonna look at the greatest commandment and how jesus christ defines the greatest commandment vertically. To love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and horizontally, to love our neighbor as ourself. Come on, join the discussion with Vicki and I as we go into it, we invite you to call your friends and enjoy the show. It’s all greek to me. So we’re now getting into the depth of the greek study that we’ve been doing with the word love this new uh series that we’re doing on the four greek words that really talk about love story. He and eros and philia and agape. E and here we have the word philia Vicky, which is we also Philly and greek, it means kiss like that. So philia is really a very uh friendship kind of love and which which were favorite terms of the greek philosophers. Uh it also is affectionate friendship. To show warm affection and intimate friendship, characterized by tender, heartfelt consideration and kinship. Maybe you can read the next part, phileo share friendship, affection proceeds out of a close bond, endearing attachment, a kindred spirit with someone affectionately loved as a friend. It means to love with the love of emotion and friendship in the latin is ahmadi and in greek is phileo it means to share experiential affection between people who cherish similar values. Like when you like to go fishing with your fishing buddies or bowling with your bowling buddies or golfing with your golfing buddies. Whatever musicians love to get together become friends. Artists become friends, journalists and different people that love similar things, become friends with one another, whether it’s collecting stamps or coins or whatever. Uh, and hear this word Phil will you find a common interest? It’s talking about common interest and friendship and unity. And it’s also a very affectionate term. Now, a copy is a lot different, which is really used outside of the new testament, stressing the intentionality and driving the love home, uh, discriminating affection, which involves choice and selection. I got Powell, which is the verb that I love is a relatively rare term in ancient greek centering in the idea to prefer. And that’s really what love is all about. It’s a choice. You make choices to love this or to love that in the scripture. It focuses on embracing what God embraces by knowing him. Also includes hating that. Which God hates psalm, 90 verse 10, hate evil you who love the Lord. And so, uh, as we as we continue thinking about this kind of love in mark 12 30 31 Vicki, why don’t you pick it up and you shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. I think that’s a lot of The whole being and Jesus Christ here expanded on the three uh areas from the old testament. Now, he adds 1\/4 here and the love. The Lord your God with your heart with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength. It’s total and complete. There’s no area that is to be secret and hidden from the Lord. The second is also like it. You shall love your neighbor and that power as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. And it’s interesting not only is it God’s divine love, but when he makes contact with us now he energizes us so that we could have his love now reflecting and flowing out of us. This is what God is saying here. Um and out of the four kinds of love only agape is unconditional Divine love. The others are all conditional on you know this is my daughter, my son, my wife, this is I have romantic love for u uh this is uh story he family love philia love. Uh but this are happy love Is totally unconditional. I think I think of what Jesus said in Luke six when he said love your enemies do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you and pray for those who despite fully use you. What kind of love is that it just goes way beyond anything. The human being really can muster up and kinda generate on its own. It really has to come from another source. That is the source, the divine source, the heart of God, the heart of jesus christ, the heart of love. Now in first John 4 7 through 11 uh it says this beloved, let us love one another. For love is from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God, the one who does not love does not know God, for God is love a copy by this. The love of God was manifested in us. That God has sent his only begotten son into the world so that we might live through him in this is love, not that we loved God, but that he first loved us and sent his son to be the propitiate a shin for our sins, beloved if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. So this word, a copy is personified in God God the father God the son God the holy spirit personified. It is actually uh it takes on, you know like like shoe leather and and and gloves. Uh the body fits right into it. So God himself says that he is love, this is the way you can visualize God feel God, no God is through this, this aspect, this incredible choice or that you’re making to love. It’s wonderful and then john 3 16 and 17 for God so loved, I mean he expands even more so loved, so so happy, so Fieldstone goes the world cosmo that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life, everlasting life. And I love that verse because it shows us the motive, it shows us the purpose. The goal of God is not to come here and punish us. He’s not some judge looking down to hit us or you know, to correct us uh that he’s not satisfied. You know, we gotta measure up. He already knows we haven’t measured up, we won’t measure up. But he loves us anyway. And he comes now to correct the problem. He didn’t come to judge us for 17, but he came to save us. That’s why Jesus came. So now we want to go in this last aspect, Vicki too. Look at john 21 verse 15 through the this portion of scripture which is so powerful through 17 notice what it says. So when they had finished breakfast, jesus said to Simon, Peter, Simon, son of john, do you love me? Do you love me? Kapow more than these? So he began to compare what Peter was loving. And was it more than that? He had love for jesus more than me. You think Peter was fishing when he asked him he do. He was oh and and he says uh and so peter answers Yes Lord. You know that I noticed how he changes the word here, Vicky. What is that phileo friendship, love friendship, love. He didn’t answer him yes, I have a happy love. He says I have friendship, love philia. And then he says well he said to him um Yes Lord you know that I love you. He said to him well feed Vasco my lamps. Some translation says 10. But the more accurately is feed Vasco my lambs verse 16. He said to him again a second time. This is again Peter denied him three times I think. Maybe that’s why the Lord is asking three times. He said Simon son of john do you love me? Do you love me a kapow? He again asked him a second time and peter said now yes Lord you know that I fill L. U. Uh huh. Again he changed the word peter is like trying to be slick. What is he slide? He’s trying to get over on jesus, jesus doesn’t know that he’s changing the words uh he said to him uh the second time he says well shepherd be men, no p men who uses the word for like a physical shepherd but it’s also a spiritual shepherd. Who not what is a shepherd do Vicky, they tend the sheep, they feed them, they protect them. They they take care of them their whole life so it’s everything. It’s it’s leading them, it’s providing a safe haven for them. Like in the in the fold, it’s fighting enemies to defend them and protect them. It’s feeding them it’s bringing them to their breast and taking care of emotionally taking care of them when they’re fearful carrying them if they have some Brokenness or weaknesses everything. So that word pimento is a shepherd who really is the heart Of uh that’s why in Ephesians 4-11 it talks about he gave some apostles and prophets and pastor teachers. So the pastor was to have the whole general aspect of that person who he was gonna shepherd defending, leading, protecting, feeding and so forth, loving, but he also specifically had to be teaching or feeding spiritually that person. And that’s why you’ll notice again Now. The third time around, Peter was grieved uh when jesus asked him the third time around he said to him, he said uh Peter, it says said to him the third time, do you love Phil l me, me? He says now Jesus changes his words to Peter, he says, but are you my friend, do we even have common ground together and notice what Peter said, he says, Lord, you know all things you know that I love you, I am your friend Phil. Peter only used the word Phil he only used the friendship love with jesus, jesus used a happy the first two times. And the third time around he said are you even my friend, are you my friend? And then he said jesus said to him feed Vasco my sheep, so feed my lambs shepherd my sheep and feed my sheep just specifically Vasco and two out of the three times the the way you show you love God, You love jesus christ is how you feed spiritually nourish the young lambs, the young believers and and then also the older believers. It’s amazing, isn’t it? It’s wonderful. What do you have to say about this? I just think it’s amazing that jesus uses the illustration of a shepherd because it’s a beautiful illustration. We know that the shepherds stay up all night. They live in the mountains. They take turns watching the sheep day and night, They’re never alone, they guard them and they protect them. They have to fight, you know, what did David do? He fought a bear in the line. Yeah. And and it’s interesting also that shepherd knows his sheep by name, he leads them into the sheep fold, you know? And uh somebody who’s not the shepherd, he tries to climb in some other way, but there’s a proper way to go. He knows the sheep by name. He protects the sheep, jesus, even in that john 10 passage said I have you in my hand, nobody will pluck you out of my hand. Why? That’s that’s a sign of security and protection that a shepherd will do and my father has you in his hand, Like the father is a shepherd. The sun is a shepherd. The Holy spirit is a shepherd is just amazing. So one of my favorite things about the Bible is that there are just huge chapters in the Bible, like the victory chapter is Romans eight or the resurrection chapter is romans 15. But here the love chapter is the first Corinthians 13 passage first Corinthians 13 and I want us to really understand that in story eros philia agape Happy, The unhappy chapter is first Corinthians In Chapter 13, the excellence of this love. And so when we look at this chapter, Vicki uh and we’ll look at three aspects of it. Uh Love is more than what I say because you know you can say a lot of things but what are you gonna do? You know? And so here first the Apostle paul is saying if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love. I have become a noisy gun or a clanging Cymbal. So it’s not just what I say, it’s more than what I say love. And here we’re beginning to understand the definitions, the real exposure of what real love is all about. So we can recognize it when we see it, why don’t you take the second one? Vicky Love is more than what I know. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but I do not have love, I am nothing Love is more than what I know. How about the third one? Take that one. Love is more than what I give or do and I and if I give all my possessions to feed the poor. And if I surrender my body to be burned. But do not have love, it profits me nothing. It’s just amazing. I mean, think about that. That’s a that’s a very heavy quote right there because you’re gonna give your body to be burned. But you don’t have love. God says that doesn’t mean anything to him. So, these three things again, it’s more than what I say. It’s more than what I know and it’s more than what I give or do love really is what I am. It’s it’s who I am. And and God says once we know him, then he is inside of us and he now can explode out of us. He just filters himself out of us and we become like God. And that’s what he now goes into verse four. That love is patient. What do you know about this word? Patient Vicki macro Fumiya macros means along, I’ll take a long time and theme moses passion or anger with people. So God is expecting us to be patient to take a long time before we let our bad fuse off. Yeah. Uh, to have a long fuse with people. So there are two kinds of patient when it comes to uh, this, how we react to people and how we react to circumstances. And the word IPO money as we have here. A pony is epo is under and mental is to remain, that’s with circumstances, we have no control over them with people. When we’re in situations, pressured situations with angry people with maybe they’re abusive people. Macro femia long to have a long fuse before we explored. That’s the one that he uses here for. Love is patient. That we we give people a chance to fail. We give people a chance to have a long fuse uh in us before we explode on them. That’s the first one. The second one is love is kind. It’s from christos, supernaturally crying. Cristo may is to be kind or useful. So it’s not just uh he’s a kind person but he’s useful. What is he gonna do? How is he gonna behave? And love is kind sees a need and meets the need. That’s the kind of person that’s talking about. Love is not jealous Zillow. Uh and this one is in an amount of P. A. Which almost it’s a word imitating the sound of boiling water properly. The bubble over from getting so hot, boiling figuratively to burn with zeal. That’s what that word means. That’s the third love is not jealous. Love is kind, love is patient and then it love does not brag uh that’s so easy to do. This word to act as a braggart to show off needing too much attention. Used only in first Corinthians 13 4 Beth forever man is the is the way you pronounce that word. Bet borrows a braggart from that particular thing. So we’re not bringing attention to ourselves, do we have a tendency to do that? I know I do, yeah, most people do. We all do. Why are you chuckling? You’re you’re cracking up, you know, you’re laughing. Yeah. When we bring attention to ourselves into our accomplishments and to our games, I mean, you hear this with politicians, you hear this also with with people, but God says, hey, you know what, love doesn’t do that. It doesn’t brag. Why don’t you pick up the next one? That verb is in the middle tents, which means you’re doing that. You’re the person himself is doing that verse five and is not arrogant. Fisa, oh, Fisa is air or bellows inflated by blowing up swelled up like an egotistical person, spewing out their arrogant, puffed up thoughts, interesting fees over to be puffed up graphically describe someone filled with himself, exuding unhealthy levels of self importance. And you know what? The person doesn’t even have to almost open their mouth sometimes it’s an air about that person that’s interesting. We, they do of course, speak egotistic lee, but you sense that when you’re around somebody who’s enamored with themselves and as you go down this list does not act on becoming me. What’s that? As he more Nevo as he will never without proper shape schema is the child that form. Okay. And, but ask a more level is do not have that form to be act unsee ming, li literally improperly lack proper form. So thought of as unseen ng indecent unbecoming. And then uh the next one, it does not seek its own properly seek by inquiry, investigating to reach a binding terminal resolution getting to the bottom of a matter. It’s not looking out for me first is what it’s saying there. But seek first the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God. Uh and uh why don’t you pick up the next few? It does not provoke para ski no part alongside. And how do you say that? So it’s it’s paddocks. E no, so it’s further along and casino is to is to uh to cut away or too sharp. The edge probably cut close alongside two inside or the jab so that it doesn’t, you know, it doesn’t irritate, it doesn’t cut. And that’s what love should not ever do to my Vicky or to your tongue, arouse someone to anger personally, getting to someone to provoke feelings spurring them to action like, you know, like put up your dukes, put up your dukes. Well this is what happened the apostle paul when he went into Athens. His spirit was what provoked it was like cutting at him. It was like cutting his flesh, but it was talking about his spirit, his spirit because of the idols because of the idols he saw when he went into Athens read that verse. Yes. Now while paul was waiting for them. At Athens, his spirit was being provoked with him as he was observing the city full of idols. Now, the rest of this list is it goes on like that does not take into account a wrong suffered. Doesn’t keep a list. Let me just go through them quickly. Does not rejoice hero in unrighteous nous. But rejoices with the truth. It’s all about truth and being happy about the truth. Rejoices with the truth. It talks about bearing all things being able to stable, which means a place under a roof to be able to hang in there, believes all things beast eval, putting confidence in all things, hoping all things that piece or having a positive spirit about the future. It also is enduring all things. Being able to keep a memento. Now we have the word patients, but under the pressure. First it was with people. Now it’s with circumstances, uh and love never fails. I love this one who that put nothing can make it knock it over or fail or fall literally because it’s love. This is what God’s love is all about. But then it gives us the illustrations. The greatest thing about love is, you know, you have faith, you have hope. But the greatest of these is love gives us the illustration of a child When I was a child I spoke as a child thought of as a as a child. But when I became an adult, I put away childish things, Faith and hope will be gone. But what the greatest of these is, Well, it’s gonna remain forever. So maybe a closing statement from you. It’s a wonderful study on, on love and there’s so many wonderful scriptures in first john also about the love of God that God is love and his love is perfected in us. Hey man, we’re gonna look at those in a little bit. So you, you know, the first corinthians 13 is not given to us in a vacuum. First Corinthians 13 is Just on the other side of the spiritual aspect of the book. The book of Corinthians is broken up into two parts That which is carnal and that which is spiritual. The cardinal is the 1st 11, chapters. The spiritual is chapters 12 through 16. Now, what do I mean by that? Well, the Apostle Paul writes to this most wicked city of that generation, you know, sodom became known for sodomy. When we say sodomized, we have a particular sin in mind, homosexuality and all the filth that goes along with that. The same thing happened in the first century when you came to the city of Corinth. When you said you were gonna be corinthian ized, you had been so affected by the immorality of corinth that had the the Temple of Aphrodite on the acro Corinth. On the top that there were thousands of temple prostitutes that would come down and service all of the men of that day and here the apostle paul goes into that city and the Lord jesus christ plants a church right there. So chapter one through four deals with the pride that resulted in divisions. Chapters 56 and seven was the immorality passage of of the book and then chapters eight through 11 was the idolatry. Those are the three big ones that qarth was gripped by the pride, the divisions and uh the the immorality 56 and seven for the the incest and fornication, the adultery And then the idolatry from Chapter eight all the way to 11 to chapter 12 is the beginning of the spiritual side of the book, which deals with the pride. It’s the unity of the spirit. Chapter with the gifts of the spirit. Then chapter 13 deals with the immorality which is 56 and seven, and that is the answer is Love. In chapter 4 15 deals with Is the resurrection. Chapter deals with the Idolatry were we worship a living God, not some dead idle, but the chapter of 13 is the key one that we have looked at today. And in that chapter we learned that love is more than what I say. Love is more than what I know. Love is more than what I do or give love is who I am. I’m just gonna take one concept from all of that list. And and that is verse five, it says that does not act on becoming, it does not seek its own is not provoked. Now watch does not take into account. It’s the word louise with me does not take into account a wrong suffered. Now, God is love and because God is love, he is able to put all of our sins on jesus christ and he can white out. He can forgiven erase the sins that we committed. He does not keep account of a wrong, suffered all of the things that we have done to ourselves to others and to God are forgiven because he who knew no sin became sin for us. So we could have the righteousness of God in him this fantastic chapter Which is a delineation which is an exposition and and actually a revelation of the word love in 16 different aspects of it, qualities of it. One of those is that it does not take into account a wrong suffered. That’s true love that we’re able to forgive nonstop not seven times but 70 times seven. And God will forgive you today if you cry out to him because God is love. Say, oh God, thank you that you love me, jesus, thank you that you died for me. Thank you that you rose again from the dead. Please forgive me and come into my heart and save me from all my sins. You see that’s true love that God would not be putting your sins and my sins into the account and holding it against us, but the blood of christ cleanses us from all sin. That’s true love. And that’s what this particular aspect does not Take into account. A wrong suffered really hits at the in verse five of Chapter 13. This love is a love that takes out of our account. The sins that we did and put into our account, the righteousness that jesus christ is God bless you, thomas Mahairas here with. It’s all greek to me. May you come back the next time and keep on watching this program here. It’s all greek to me. God bless.